One of the best things about Christmas is getting lots of lovely Christmas books AND having the time to read them. But sometimes whether you're buying for or dropping heavy hints (i.e. emailing an actual list) to your nearest and dearest, it can be hard to decide what to buy. Which is where we come in. Here are some recommended reads for (almost) every mood and reader.
- If you want a brilliantly scary feminist dystopia
Louise O'Neill's award winning novel Only Ever Yours is a must-read. In a horrific future in which women's only three options are wives, "concubines" or chaste teachers, girls grow up in an enclosed school where they are taught to see other girls as competition and friendships are discouraged. The heroine, Freida, is in her final year at the school - but will she be one of the "lucky" ones who are chosen as wives? A razor-sharp satire and a brilliant thriller, this will appeal to readers of all ages from teens on. Give it to a smart teenager you know - or keep it for yourself.
- If you want a detective with a difference
Matthew Shardlake isn't a typical detective. He's got what he himself calls a "hunchback", he's a lawyer who rides a horse, oh, and he lives in Tudor England. And yet his adventures are some of the most gripping crime novels of recent years. Lamentation by C.J. Sansom is the latest Shardlake mystery, and it sees the intrepid lawyer investigating a case involving Queen Catherine, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. Marian Keyes is a fan, and even though I'm not usually into novels set in Tudor England, I can't get enough of Shardlake and his friends.
- If you want a totally engrossing read
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Speaking of Marian Keyes, if you're a fan, you've probably already got her brilliant new novel The Woman Who Stole My Life on your Christmas list, and if you're not already a fan, prepare to be converted. The story of a Dublin one who is struck by a terrifying illness and recovers to accidentally become a best selling author is moving, gripping and, as ever with Marian, very funny. You'll be demanding your own pair of "lady chinos" by the end.
- If you want to be in a band
Joseph O'Connor's The Thrill of It All is a sad, funny novel about a group of London-Irish kids who form a suspiciously Pogues-esque band in the early 1980s. They become surprisingly successful - but at a big price. It's a book about friendship, family and loving music, and if you've ever been in a band, wanted to be in a band, or simply loved a band, you'll love it.
- If you want some sassy, witty wisdom
Nora Ephron is best known for her film work these days (she wrote When Harry Met Sally, among other rom-com classics) but she started her career as a journalist. The Most Of Nora Ephron is a huge collection of some of her best pieces, from her 1970s reportage on the feminist movement to her famous 1996 speech to female college graduates in which she advised them to "make a little trouble out there… I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women." An inspiration to us all!
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Are you a bit of a bookworm? Do any of these reads tickle your fancy? Do you have any more recommendations - we'd love to hear them!
